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Here we go again! Defiant Majorcans vow this year's summer holiday protests will be bigger than last years as the mass tourism from Brits is making their lives 'unbearable'
Here we go again! Defiant Majorcans vow this year's summer holiday protests will be bigger than last years as the mass tourism from Brits is making their lives 'unbearable'

Daily Mail​

time4 days ago

  • Business
  • Daily Mail​

Here we go again! Defiant Majorcans vow this year's summer holiday protests will be bigger than last years as the mass tourism from Brits is making their lives 'unbearable'

Thousands of defiant anti-tourism protesters have vowed to bring the streets of Majorca to a standstill after they called for another major anti-tourist demonstration. The Spanish island's capital of Palma - a holiday hotspot popular among Brits- will be clogged on Sunday, June 15 as representatives of 60 groups today announced the protest. The move comes as Spain finds itself struggling to balance the promotion of tourism and addressing citizens' concerns over a housing crisis that they say has been fuelled by holidaymakers. The demonstration will be led by campaign group 'Menys Turisme, Mes Vida' (Less tourism, more life), which claims that the everyday life of locals has become 'unbearable' thanks to foreign holidaymakers. They have accused both the Balearic Islands' government of ignoring the pleas for drastic changes in their current tourism model. The platform is asking the island's residents to take to the streets to demand a change in the economic model and what they describe as 'touristification.' This will be the third major protest of its kind but the activists say they are getting nowhere despite calls to clampdown on tourists. The demonstration in Palma will be held simultaneously with similar marches in Ibiza, Barcelona, Donosti and other major Spanish cities. 'We stand for the right to a dignified life and to demand an end to touristification', said Jaume Pujol, spokesman for Menys Turisme, Més Vida. The group today also criticised the local government, accusing them of promoting policies that have aggravated the mass tourism crisis. They also warned that, with the start of the tourist season, 'unbearable situations' are already being repeated on the island, including road closures due to tourist events and genera; saturation of public spaces and markets. Menys Turisme, Mes Vida also argued that their island is 'not for sale' and that 'it is urgent to put limits' on a tourism model that they consider increasingly destructive. It comes a month after tens of thousands of furious Spaniards took to the streets across the country to demand a solution to the cost of living crisis they say has been exacerbated by tourism. The demonstrations on April 5 took place across major Spanish towns and cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga and Palma. According to organizers, 30,000 people took to the streets of Malaga - a seaside town in the south of Spain - as they demanded solutions to the housing crisis, with banners reading: 'Houses for the people of Málaga. Hotels for tourists, affordable rents.' But police reported that around 5,000 demonstrators took part in the Malaga march. Residents were photographed holding banners with the slogan: 'Houses for the people of Málaga. Hotels for tourists'. Some also hung posters from their balconies and windows with messages saying: 'Housing is a right, not a business'. Meanwhile in Madrid, around 15,000 people gathered in the capital's neighbourhood of Atocha and marched towards Plaza de Espana shouting slogans like: 'Landlords are thieves' and 'Madrid will be the tomb of rentals'. Angry renters pointed to instances of international hedge funds buying up properties, often with the aim of renting them to foreign tourists. The question has become so politically charged that Barcelona's city government pledged last year to phase out all its 10,000 permits for short-term rentals, many of them advertised on platforms like Airbnb, by 2028. Marchers in Madrid last month chanted 'Get Airbnb out of our neighborhoods' and held up signs against short-term rentals. 'No more leaving our neighborhoods, our homes, or even our cities every five or seven years,' said Valeria Racu, spokesperson for the Madrid tenants' union, in a statement at the start of the demonstration. 'We're calling on the half-million households whose contracts expire in 2025 to stay home and resist,' she added. Incomes in Spain have failed to keep up with rising housing costs, especially for younger people in a country with chronically high unemployment Irate activists aired their grievances to the angry mobs filling the streets, taking aim at the 'touristification' of resorts along Spain's coasts. In the southern city of Murcia, 500 people chanted: 'We will not tolerate one more eviction'. Up north in Santander, a city on Spain's Atlantic coast, residents demanded public houses. 'No houses without people, no people without houses,' 'everyone under a roof, housing is a right', those in attendance chanted. A generation of young people say they have to stay with their parents or spend big just to share an apartment, with little chance of saving enough to one day purchase a home. High housing costs mean even those with traditionally well-paying jobs are struggling to make ends meet. According to Spain's central bank, almost 40% of Spanish families who rent spend nearly half of their income on housing. In April last year the government said it would scrap its so-called 'golden visa' programme granting residency rights to foreigners who make large investments in real estate in the country, which the Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said would help make access to affordable housing 'a right instead of a speculative business'. The average rent in Spain has almost doubled in the last 10 years. The price per square meter rose from 7.2 euros in 2014 to 13 euros last year, according to real estate website Idealista. The increase is bigger in Madrid and Barcelona. Incomes have failed to keep up, especially for younger people in a country with chronically high unemployment. Spain does not have the public housing that other European nations have invested in to cushion struggling renters from a market that is pricing them out. Spain was rocked by mass demonstrations last summer, as tens of thousands of fed up locals filled the streets to protest mass tourism. Anti-tourism campaigners have long been contesting the current tourism model, claiming that many locals have been priced out by holidaymakers, expats and foreign buyers. Last year, Spain saw a record-breaking number of tourists, with over 15 million visitors flocking to the island of Mallorca alone. In response, protestors took to the streets across Spain, leaving countless visitors fuming after paying hundreds of pounds to enjoy their holidays abroad. Actions included marches on the street with protesters chanting 'tourists go home', as well as demonstrations on beaches which saw locals boo and jeer at sun-soaked tourists. In one particular instance, up to 50,000 locals descended onto the streets of the Mallorca capital Palma. Meanwhile in Barcelona, some 2,800 people marched along a waterfront district of Barcelona to demand a new economic model that would reduce the millions of tourists that visit every year. Protesters carried signs reading 'Barcelona is not for sale,' and, 'Tourists go home,' before some used water guns on tourists eating outdoors at restaurants in popular tourist hotspots. Chants of 'Tourists out of our neighbourhood' rang out as some stopped in front of the entrances to hotels.

Mallorca residents urge tourists to stop visiting the island
Mallorca residents urge tourists to stop visiting the island

Yahoo

time18-03-2025

  • Yahoo

Mallorca residents urge tourists to stop visiting the island

Mallorca campaign organisations and political groups have sent a strong and clear message to tourists who they say have harmed the island when arriving in their masses: 'Do not come' and 'stay home'. Seven organisations representing residents, such as the environmental association GOB and campaigners Menys Turisme, Més Vida, which was behind the large anti-tourist protest that packed out the streets in Palma de Mallorca last July, have signed an open letter discouraging tourists from visiting the Spanish island. Last summer, efforts materialised in Palma de Mallorca with 10,000 protesters showing up to take part in a large demonstration, with people walking with models of planes, cruise ships and posters reading 'no to mass tourism' and 'stop private jets'. Ahead of the peak summer tourist season this year, the organisations are trying to raise awareness of overtourism impacts and deter the number of visitors flocking to the Mediterranean holiday hotspot. Addressing tourists in a letter published on Saturday, 15 March, the organisations said that until very recently Mallorca's tourism industry was a 'source of pride' but has since become their 'biggest problem'. After becoming increasingly popular over the years, the organisations say: 'The island has been exploited to unimaginable limits, leading to the collapse we are now suffering.' With the island's tourist industry successfully bringing in high amounts of revenue, this has attracted hoteliers, politicians and real estate investors to Mallorca, however, the letter brands them as 'parasites' motivated by 'greed and avarice'. Among the impacts, the letter says that Mallorca's residents therefore are experiencing environmental deterioration, infrastructure issues, overwhelmed public services, transport problems, gentrification and a housing crisis. The organisations also called out politicians for continuing to promote tourism on the island and said that the use of the word 'sustainable' when talking about the industry is 'insulting'. 'Politicians tell us they want to promote the deseasonalisation of the tourism industry,' they wrote. 'This would mean reducing the number of tourists during peak season by spreading them throughout the year. 'However, what is actually happening is exactly the opposite. 'Mallorca is not the paradise they are selling you,' the letter continues. 'The local population is angry and no longer hospitable because the land we love is being destroyed and many of us have to leave the island because it is uninhabitable. Put yourselves in our place!' The organisations then ask tourists to help them by not coming to the island: 'We do not need more tourists; in fact, you are the source of our problem'. 'Locals say: ENOUGH. STAY HOME!' the letter signs off. The letter comes over a month since Menys Turisme, Més Vida called on its members to 'regroup' and 'redouble' its efforts against the impacts of the tourist industry ahead of the peak tourist season. The campaign group said it would 'intensify' its actions in response to an announcement of a billion-euro investment into the tourist sector, the rise of real estate and luxury tourism speculation while the housing crisis continues to worsen. However, it was just two weeks ago that the Balearic Government proposed a tightening on 'tourism containment measures' by offering up plans to raise the 'Sustainable Tourism Tax' from €4 (£3.36) to a maximum of €6 (£5) per person, per night in high season. The government has also proposed the banning of new tourist accommodation in residential apartment buildings and will now be negotiating the proposals for approval in parliament. The Independent has contacted the Balearic government for comment.

Mallorca residents urge tourists to stop visiting the island
Mallorca residents urge tourists to stop visiting the island

The Independent

time18-03-2025

  • The Independent

Mallorca residents urge tourists to stop visiting the island

Mallorca campaign organisations and political groups have sent a strong and clear message to tourists who they say have harmed the island when arriving in their masses: 'Do not come' and 'stay home'. Seven organisations representing residents, such as the environmental association GOB and campaigners Menys Turisme, Més Vida, which was behind the large anti-tourist protest that packed out the streets in Palma de Mallorca last July, have signed an open letter discouraging tourists from visiting the Spanish island. Last summer, efforts materialised in Palma de Mallorca with 10,000 protesters showing up to take part in a large demonstration, with people walking with models of planes, cruise ships and posters reading 'no to mass tourism' and 'stop private jets'. Ahead of the peak summer tourist season this year, the organisations are trying to raise awareness of overtourism impacts and deter the number of visitors flocking to the Mediterranean holiday hotspot. Addressing tourists in a letter published on Saturday, 15 March, the organisations said that until very recently Mallorca's tourism industry was a 'source of pride' but has since become their 'biggest problem'. After becoming increasingly popular over the years, the organisations say: 'The island has been exploited to unimaginable limits, leading to the collapse we are now suffering.' With the island's tourist industry successfully bringing in high amounts of revenue, this has attracted hoteliers, politicians and real estate investors to Mallorca, however, the letter brands them as 'parasites' motivated by 'greed and avarice'. Among the impacts, the letter says that Mallorca's residents therefore are experiencing environmental deterioration, infrastructure issues, overwhelmed public services, transport problems, gentrification and a housing crisis. The organisations also called out politicians for continuing to promote tourism on the island and said that the use of the word 'sustainable' when talking about the industry is 'insulting'. 'Politicians tell us they want to promote the deseasonalisation of the tourism industry,' they wrote. 'This would mean reducing the number of tourists during peak season by spreading them throughout the year. 'However, what is actually happening is exactly the opposite. 'Mallorca is not the paradise they are selling you,' the letter continues. 'The local population is angry and no longer hospitable because the land we love is being destroyed and many of us have to leave the island because it is uninhabitable. Put yourselves in our place!' The organisations then ask tourists to help them by not coming to the island: 'We do not need more tourists; in fact, you are the source of our problem'. 'Locals say: ENOUGH. STAY HOME!' the letter signs off. The letter comes over a month since Menys Turisme, Més Vida called on its members to 'regroup' and 'redouble' its efforts against the impacts of the tourist industry ahead of the peak tourist season. The campaign group said it would 'intensify' its actions in response to an announcement of a billion-euro investment into the tourist sector, the rise of real estate and luxury tourism speculation while the housing crisis continues to worsen. However, it was just two weeks ago that the Balearic Government proposed a tightening on 'tourism containment measures' by offering up plans to raise the 'Sustainable Tourism Tax' from €4 (£3.36) to a maximum of €6 (£5) per person, per night in high season. The government has also proposed the banning of new tourist accommodation in residential apartment buildings and will now be negotiating the proposals for approval in parliament.

Mallorca anti-tourism group plans to step up campaign this year amid housing crisis
Mallorca anti-tourism group plans to step up campaign this year amid housing crisis

Yahoo

time12-02-2025

  • Business
  • Yahoo

Mallorca anti-tourism group plans to step up campaign this year amid housing crisis

A Spanish group campaigning against overtourism has called on its members to 'regroup' and 'redouble' its efforts against the impact the tourist industry has on island residents. Menys Turisme, Més Vida (Less Tourism, More Life) has called for a meeting on 15 February at a school in Mallorca for training and workshops ahead of the peak tourist season. The campaign group said it would 'intensify' its actions in response to an announcement of a billion-euro investment into the tourist sector, the rise of real estate and luxury tourism speculation while the housing crisis continues to worsen. The group was behind a large anti-tourist protest that filled the streets in Palma de Mallorca last summer against skyrocketing housing prices in the wake of a tourist boom on the popular holiday island. Around 10,000 protesters showed up to take part on 21 July, with people walking with models of planes, cruise ships and posters reading 'no to mass tourism' and 'stop private jets'. The group has now called out Balearic authorities and claimed they were prioritising investing in the tourist sector rather than infrastructure that would benefit permanent residents. 'While the Balearic Government exceeds the billionaire investments of 1.12bn euros to defend tourist interests, the public infrastructure, healthcare, the territory... is on the verge of collapse,' it wrote in a translated statement on social media. President of the Balearic Islands, Marga Prohens, announced last month that 1.12bn euros is to be spent on tourism sustainability and modernisation in the Balearics, Majorca Daily Bulletin reported. 'While the tourist lobby continues to get rich and prices skyrocket, wages are stagnant and the living conditions of the working class continue to become more precarious,' the group continued. 'The extraordinary measures of the state are nothing more than anaesthetics to not solve the problem. 'And the sustainability pact is nothing more than a strategy that only wastes time. 'That's why on 15 February we will meet again to regroup and redouble our commitment to continue collectively building the alternative to this socioeconomic model.' Menys Turisme, Més Vida says that the profits of tourism companies grow twice as much as the wages of workers. 'While they make us believe that we live off tourism, the reality is different,' it said. 'Workers are getting poorer, salaries are not rising… and are not enough for housing.' Speaking to Reuters last year amid the large-scale protests, Pere Joan Femenia, of Menys Turisme, Més Vida, said that mass tourism was making it difficult for local people to afford to live on their own island. "We want to cut mass tourism and to ban non-residents from buying houses which are just used for a few months a year or for speculation."

Mallorca anti-tourism group plans to step up campaign this year amid housing crisis
Mallorca anti-tourism group plans to step up campaign this year amid housing crisis

The Independent

time12-02-2025

  • Business
  • The Independent

Mallorca anti-tourism group plans to step up campaign this year amid housing crisis

A Spanish group campaigning against overtourism has called on its members to 'regroup' and 'redouble' its efforts against the impact the tourist industry has on island residents. Menys Turisme, Més Vida (Less Tourism, More Life) has called for a meeting on 15 February at a school in Mallorca for training and workshops ahead of the peak tourist season. The campaign group said it would 'intensify' its actions in response to an announcement of a billion-euro investment into the tourist sector, the rise of real estate and luxury tourism speculation while the housing crisis continues to worsen. The group was behind a large anti-tourist protest that filled the streets in Palma de Mallorca last summer against skyrocketing housing prices in the wake of a tourist boom on the popular holiday island. Around 10,000 protesters showed up to take part on 21 July, with people walking with models of planes, cruise ships and posters reading 'no to mass tourism' and 'stop private jets'. The group has now called out Balearic authorities and claimed they were prioritising investing in the tourist sector rather than infrastructure that would benefit permanent residents. 'While the Balearic Government exceeds the billionaire investments of 1.12bn euros to defend tourist interests, the public infrastructure, healthcare, the territory... is on the verge of collapse,' it wrote in a translated statement on social media. President of the Balearic Islands, Marga Prohens, announced last month that 1.12bn euros is to be spent on tourism sustainability and modernisation in the Balearics, Majorca Daily Bulletin reported. 'While the tourist lobby continues to get rich and prices skyrocket, wages are stagnant and the living conditions of the working class continue to become more precarious,' the group continued. 'The extraordinary measures of the state are nothing more than anaesthetics to not solve the problem. 'And the sustainability pact is nothing more than a strategy that only wastes time. 'That's why on 15 February we will meet again to regroup and redouble our commitment to continue collectively building the alternative to this socioeconomic model.' Menys Turisme, Més Vida says that the profits of tourism companies grow twice as much as the wages of workers. 'While they make us believe that we live off tourism, the reality is different,' it said. 'Workers are getting poorer, salaries are not rising… and are not enough for housing.' Speaking to Reuters last year amid the large-scale protests, Pere Joan Femenia, of Menys Turisme, Més Vida, said that mass tourism was making it difficult for local people to afford to live on their own island.

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